“The goal is not a good death. The goal is a good life — all the way to the very end.”
— Atul Gawande, M.D., surgeon, writer and public health leader
By rclark
One year ago on this date, July 11, 2019, my wife, Norma, was freed from the prison of Alzheimer’s disease. So exactly one year later it is appropriate to celebrate Norma Houghton’s life and share with my readers personal reflections on my recovery.
You who have been with me all the way from diagnosis in 2010 to last summers’ final breath know the documented story of a lady who gave an extraordinary gift to sacrifice her privacy to help others. The sadness in over 10 years of seeing her drift away was softened by the concern of many readers, as well as numerous caregivers.
My restoration and renewal following our 57 years of marriage has been facilitated in part by periodic messages this past year from her hospice caregivers from Compassus. A healing journey of recurring memories was predicted by their periodic communication.
Norma’s good works have been recognized with the Norma A. Houghton Staff Award in the Birthing Center of Monadnock Community Hospital and an annual scholarship for a graduating student from one of our three local high schools choosing higher education in nursing.
As past co-chair of the Western New Hampshire Walk to End Alzheimer’s, I have been given the satisfying task of using my wife’s story as a monthly “mission moment” to cheer on the current walk committee through the challenges of planning a major event during the pandemic.
So her legacy lives on and, though grief has come to my life, spiritual growth and a new life have also emerged as predicted and aided by Compassus. I can now see that hospice is not about dying but helping caregivers and patients live life to the fullest.
When our time on Earth comes near a close, the choice of hospice provides a better quality of life than if aggressive end-of-life medical care were applied. Dr. Gawande’s classic treatise, “Being Mortal,” about “medicine and what matters in the end,” is on point.
You may remember an early column about full body donation for medical education. I expect next week to travel to Boston University Medical School to bring Norma’s ashes back to Jaffrey. Plans are being laid at the United Church to develop a memorial garden as a final resting place for beloved members of the church.
If you want to find out more about hospice services, visit the hospice and palliative care organization (www.nhpco.org). It is not true that hospice is only for the final days or hours of life. Hospice is about helping patients and their families have the best possible quality of life as they can when life expectancy is limited.
Usually a patient’s doctor and the hospice medical director work together to offer experience with hospice criteria, guidelines and clinical judgements. Hospice Medicare coverage includes nurses, other caregivers, medicines, supplies and equipment, with little or no cost to patients, families or caregivers.
Clearly for me hospice care provided even more than medical, emotional, social and spiritual support. I find myself surrounded with family and friends who share my loving memories of Norma and continue to offer peace and support as I come to this special date.
Compassus gave me positive relief and strength during a time of extended grief, allowing me to create appropriate remembrances and lasting reminders of a life well lived. Since they suggested a celebration on the anniversary of my loved one’s death, isn’t it a joy that my July column is published as a tribute on this very date!
“Enjoy life. Have fun. Be kind. Have worth. Have friends. Be honest.
“Laugh. Die with dignity. Make the most of it. It’s all we’ve got!”
— Ricky Gervais
Complete Article ↪HERE↩!